


Finding Redemption

by JustBeStill



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Original Trilogy, Star Wars: Rebels
Genre: Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Enemies to Friends, Forgiveness, Hurt/Comfort, Mass Murder, Maul struggles with his past, Redemption, and with his future decisions, letting go
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-08-08
Updated: 2020-08-31
Packaged: 2021-03-06 06:01:50
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 3,413
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25788505
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JustBeStill/pseuds/JustBeStill
Summary: Maul finds Obi-Wan on Tatooine, but the former Sith is exhausted and malnourished from wandering in the hot desert. He does not have the energy to fight. They talk instead.
Relationships: Obi-Wan Kenobi & Darth Maul
Comments: 15
Kudos: 38





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * For [the_giant_rat_that_makes_all_the_rules](https://archiveofourown.org/users/the_giant_rat_that_makes_all_the_rules/gifts).



Maul walked towards the fire, and stood before his enemy. Before he could speak, his legs gave out beneath him, and he collapsed to the ground.

"I am... tired," Maul said weakly. "In need of rest."

"Stay here for the night, until you regain your strength," Obi-Wan said, holding out a pan of food. "Sit with me, and eat."

Maul stumbled over to a log that lay near the fire, and sat down, hesitately accepting the food that his enemy offered him.

He took a bite; it was delicious. 

"Now then," Obi-Wan said calmly, "What brings you here?"

Maul set down his food and sighed. "I... wanted to kill you."

The former Jedi nodded. Yes, he had presumed that to be the case. "You must have been searching for some time, then. I know you can be persistent when wanting to accomplish a particular goal."

Maul stared into the fire, watching the flames lick the dry desert air. "As is the most notable trait of a Sith."

Obi-Wan took Maul's empty pan and put another piece of meat onto it, offering it to the Zabrak. "That choice was not your own. If you had possessed the ability to choose, I doubt you would have wanted to embrace a life of suffering and pain."

Maul took the pan of food from his former enemy. A peace offering, he realized. "I have hurt for so long," He looked up at the human. "What will quell this pain?"

Obi-Wan chewed thoughtfully on his food. "You must let go of your hate. It will be the death of you. Only through forgiveness, will you truly find peace."

Maul growled. "What good will that be now? Only the WEAK forgive! I have endured too much. I can never be at peace when my Master is still alive. He is the reason for my suffering!"

Obi-Wan leaned forward slightly, putting a hand on the former Sith Lord's shoulder. "It is the only way. If you don't learn to let go, you will never be free."

Maul stared at the Jedi's hand on his shoulder, the consoling gesture filling him with all sorts of emotions. He shoved them down until he couldn't feel them anymore, then returned his attention to his food. 

"Your injuries were the result of your own actions, but if it helps you," Obi-Wan said softly, "I am sorry that I contributed to your suffering. The loss of your legs was only the beginning of your torment, after all, and I will accept partial responsibility for it."

Maul snarled, standing up. His mind filled with rage. "Your apology means nothing to me, Jedi!" He yelled. "I COULD HAVE BEEN SO MUCH MORE THAN AN OUTCAST!" He ranted, throwing his dish aside. The meal hit the sand with a dull thump. "I was destined to be a true Sith, and you took that from me!"

Obi-Wan sighed, eyes flicking to the discarded food, then back to Maul. "Perhaps the Force had other plans for you," he mused. "Palpatine was only using you to suit his own wants, you know."

"My Master is powerful, he truly thought that I could be useful to him!" The Zabrak continued. "I could have been his successor! Now I am nothing!"

"The Dark Side is well known for clouding judgement," Obi-Wan mused aloud, partly to himself. "It is a good thing that you realize the effects of such power. It corrupts and destroys the person."

Maul felt the rage explode within him again, and he let it consume him. He ignited his weapon, the red blade humming dangerously as he slashed at his adversary. He missed his intended target by several inches, the exaustion sapping his will to fight. 

The rage persisted for a few moments longer, lingering, but it dissapated just as quickly, seeming to take with it all of Maul's remaining energy, and making him even more exausted than he had been upon arrival.

"I have FAILED," he said, his lightsaber dropping to the sand beside him as it was turned off, his voice cracking with unwanted emotion. "I have lost EVERYTHING, betrayed by the only one who raised me."

Obi-Wan observed quietly. "There is always an opportunity for redemption," he said. "But it will be a long and difficult road, especially for someone of your upbringing."

Maul collapsed back onto the makeshift seat, the dry log uncomfortable and rough. "It is impossible," he said. "My Master's voice still haunts me! He is too powerful."

"Anyone can become a better person, if they possess the desire for change." The former Jedi said, sitting down next to Maul.

"It is too late for me," Maul said, his voice betraying his desperation and sadness, and beneath that, his fear.  
"I cannot be forgiven, I cannot change! I was not taught those things."

"They are things you learn," Obi-Wan said, scooping up handfuls of sand and tossing them into the fire to put it out. "But it is entirely your decision to seek redemption. If you continue down your current path, you will only experience more pain, and heartache."

The fire died out, the last of the flames being snuffed out as Obi-Wan threw in a final scoop of sand. 

He saw the discarded lightsaber on the ground and picked it up, turning to Maul and offering it to him. "You are welcome to stay the night if you wish, and continue on your journey tomorrow morning."

Maul stared at his former enemy, weighing his options. After a few moments of consideration, he took back his weapon and clipped it to his belt, taking the Jedi's outstretched hand.

"I am afraid that my home was not prepared to have guests," Obi-Wan said as Maul got to his feet, "but I can try to make the proper accomodations for you." He turned away and began walking. "Follow me, please."

They headed towards the hut, Maul brooding over his future.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Maul and Obi-Wan argue about the Dark Side and its effects.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Maul is SUPER tough to write for in this scenario, so I hope he's still somewhat in-character here.
> 
> Also, this will now apparently be a multi-chapter fic instead of a one-shot. Thanks, brain. Maul MAY go after Sidious at some point, but that's still undecided. Let me know if you want to see more of this story.

As they entered the hut, Maul noticed how bare it was. There was a table in one corner, with books scattered on top of it, and a separate room had a bathroom and refresher area.

"This place looks rather... pedestrian," Maul commented as he looked around. "Couldn't you have selected a more lively form of housing?"

"Perhaps," Obi-Wan mused aloud, moving to the table and picking up some of the books and organizing them, "But the goal is to stay undetected by the enemy. This location is remote, and safe from potential dangers."

"You Jedi are more cowardly than I thought," Maul said with slight amusement, "Why not kill the enemy before they find us?"

"That is not recommended," Obi-Wan stated. "Then they will follow you, and perhaps eventually find us here even quicker."

Maul shook his head in disbelief, muttering something about the Jedi and thier cowardess under his breath. He opened up one of the books on the table and skimmed through it, then set it back down. 

"Your knowledge of the Force is impressive, however," Maul stated after a moment of thought, "It rivals my own."

Obi-Wan nodded absentmindedly, apparently deep in thought. 

"Where shall I rest?" Maul asked, eyeing the bed in the corner. 

"I will make accomodations for you shortly." Obi-Wan said, brushing sand from his cloak, "Did you have enough food to satiate your hunger?"

Maul nodded, anger suddenly sparking to life inside of him again. It annoyed him that he was letting this... walking piece of waste live. Kenobi should be dead and gone, just like the rest of those pathetic Jedi scum.

He decided to revisit those thoughts at a later date, and put them off for now. 

"May I offer you something to drink?" Obi-Wan asked, puling out a small water flask from his cloak and holding it out to the Zabrak. "I do not have much in the way of refreshments, but I will remedy that tomorrow morning, if you choose to stay until then."

Maul eyed the flask wearily. A voice in his mind whispered that it could be poisoned, of course, though he didn't know why the former Jedi Master would want to kill him after this sickening display of hospitality he had shown him.

Obi-Wan stepped closer, flask still out and offered to him. When Maul did not accept the drink, he shrugged and put it away. "Very well then, it will be here if you need it at any point in the future."

"I require NOTHING from you, Jedi!" Maul spat at him, clenching his fists so hard his hands were shaking. "The Dark Side is all I will ever need! Its power is my nourishment!"

"You are wrong in that assessment," Obi-Wan said calmly. "The Dark Side drains the user, and decays the body. It corrupts and destroys, and eats at the soul until there is nothing left but a great, black hole yearning for endless power. It craves for something that it will never truly accomplish."

Maul snarled, hand gripping the thick steel of his lightsaber hilt on his belt. "What do you know of power? The Sith were always destined to destroy their true enemies! We are the DEFINITION of power!" 

Obi-Wan sighed, looking down at Maul's lightsaber. "If you feel the need to resort to using your anger now, you will be undoing any progress that you have made tonight. You must cleanse yourself of such emotions."

"Do not lecture me, Kenobi!" Maul snapped, "I will not let your pitiful lies corrupt my thoughts. YOU are the reason my life is not what it was supposed to become!"

"Perhaps that is true," Obi-Wan agreed, "but it has the potential to become something even greater, now that you are free of Sidious' influence. He is a master manipulator, you know."

"You will not SPEAK of my Master!" Maul said, thumb hovering over the activation switch on his weapon, "I will deal with him in due time."

"I doubt you would survive if you attempted to pursue him," Obi-Wan said truthfully, "His army is in the millions. You would be overwhelmed and defeated."

Maul glared at him silently, then turned and headed towards the exit of the hut, activating his saber and slashing at the wall as he left, leaving a large, smouldering line across the entryway.

Obi-Wan sighed and briefly examined the damage to his hut, then walked outside. "Are you ready to depart? I suggest you wait until morning to ensure a strong mind and healthy body."

"I will return, as much as I loathe the idea," Maul said, voice dripping with frustration as he deactivated his lightsaber and put it back on his belt. "I desperately require space from you and your mindless philosophies."

Obi-Wan took out the flask and held it out to him. "If you insist on venturing out this late at night, take this with you." 

Maul growled softly and snatched the flask from his adversary. "I should not have been so confident on Naboo all those years ago in battle."

"Overconfidence is a flaw of the Dark Side." Obi-Wan responded calmly, "One that you must overcome if you are to truly change your ways."

Maul ignored that statement and started to head out, but Obi-Wan stopped him again, gently touching his arm.

"Release me, or your limb will be lost," Maul spat at him.

Obi-Wan sighed and let go of Maul's arm, and he took off his cloak and held it in his hand. "You will need this for protection against the wind and cold."

Maul snorted in disgust. "I do not ever want your flimsy clothing, Kenobi. Do not ask or even allude to such things ever again. I have come prepared for such events."

"Very well, if you so insist," Obi-Wan said, slipping on his cloak again. "I wish you well on your journey, and hope that you reach your destination safely. I will prepare your resting place for the night while you are away."

Maul scoffed at him and turned away. "Your passive nature is what makes you weak," he said, finally trudging away from the hut and into the endless abyss that was the Tatooine desert.

When he was out of eyeshot of Kenobi, Maul took a drink of water from the flask.

After some time wandering, he saw a Sandcrawler moving slowly through the sand away from him. Maul grinned, excited by the idea of shedding blood to let out his building rage. He hadn't slaughtered anything in a few weeks, except for animals that were safe to eat.

He activated his lightsaber and pursued the large vehicle, envisioning the carnage he would cause.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Maul slaughters a group of Tusken Raiders.

Maul came back near sundown, covered in blood. He took off his heavy cloak, shirtless underneath, and hung it on a hook by the front entrance. The hut smelled strongly of cooking meat.

“Good evening,” Obi-Wan greeted from the doorway, a fire crackling a few feet away, outside of the hut, “Are you hungry enough to eat now?”

Maul growled softly to himself, still feeling the aftereffects of the slaughter almost two hours previously. He turned to his new roommate, wiping specks of blood from his face. “I suppose so, yes,”

Obi-Wan nodded. “That’s good.” He studied Maul carefully, noting the various, striking pattern of black tattoos covering his body. “Perhaps you should clean yourself before you begin eating tonight. The refresher is just in the next room.”

“I am fine, Kenobi,” Maul snapped lightly, reaching up and brushing more dried blood from his body. “This blood is not my own.”

“I see,” Obi-Wan nodded again. “To whom did it belong to?”

“To a group of scavengers,” Maul said with a slight smirk, glee shining in his eyes, “Jawas, in fact.”

“Why would you do such a thing?” Obi-Wan asked calmly, his voice even. “Surely they had done little to harm you.”

“Their eyes reminded me of all that I have lost,” Maul snarled in remembrance, “They caused memories of my Master’s betrayal, and my brother’s slaughter by that same hand, to surface.”

“It is unhealthy to continue to let your negative emotions fester within you,” Obi-Wan advised patiently, “You must find a better way to deal with them, and you will feel better once they are completely released.”

Maul growled loudly in response. “I do not require such ludicrous methods, Kenobi,” he said, staring at the Jedi with hate. “Your teachings are simply worthless to me. They are just words. They mean nothing.”

Obi-Wan sighed. “I suppose I am to assume there were no survivors from your outburst?”

Maul smirked and glanced around the hint in a distracted manner. “Your assessment would be correct. All were freed from their pathetic existence.”

Obi-Wan looked at Maul with pity. “You are unwise to assume that they had no purpose in the galaxy,” he said sadly, “All creatures brought into the universe have some kind of role to fill.”

“Not everyone.” Maul snarled at him, “Some of us are destined to destroy, and the rest live meaningless lives, unaware of how completely worthless they are. Others still would relish the mere chance to run towards the slaughter, like your Jedi friends.”

Obi-Wan narrowed his eyes at the mention of his dead fellow Jedi, but chose to ignore the verbal jab. “Your temper must also be controlled if you ever wish to be around other creatures for long periods.” He gestured to Maul’s lightsaber, “You must also learn to live with the absence of your weapon.”

The saber flew off of Maul’s belt nd into Obi-Wan’s hand, being stored in the Jedi’s cloak. “This will stay with me until you have learned to control your anger. Once that is accomplished, it will be returned to you the following day.”

Maul snarled and stared at Obi-Wan with fiery rage. “It is not your place to decide how I will live, Kenobi! I will do as I wish!”

“I know of how powerful you are with the Force alone,” Obi-Wan mused, “You will not need your weapon to survive out here.”

“As factual as that may be, I still require it to defend myself against potential enemies,” Maul argued, crossing his arms and glaring at the Jedi. “You are depriving me of necessary protection.”

“Fighting and chaos are not alway the answer, you know,” Obi-Wan pointed out calmly, “There are always more peaceful, non-violent methods to getting what you want.”

Maul didnt bother with a response, instead entertaining the nearly uncontrollable urge to attack the older human, but swallowed his burning rage and stood up, turning away and trudging off. 

“Are you not going to partake in this meal with me?” Obi-Wan said, sitting down by the fire and nursing the flames. “It is nearly ready to be eaten.”

“The fire will not last much longer without energy to feed it,” Maul said over his shoulder, “i will go and get more.”

Obi-Wan shrugged. “Very well. Return soon, i do enjoy your company. You are making excellent progress.”

Maul growled to himself, shaking his head,anting to scream at the Jedi, but decided that now was not the time for another argument. He continued on his journey. Wandering until he found a few dead trees near a cliff face.

He grabbed a thick branch on the tree and pulled, grunting with the effort. He reached for his lightsaber to cut the tree down, but remembered that Obi-Wan had taken it from him. 

Maul sighed and reluctantly admitted to himself that the former Jedi was right, he was too dependent on the weapon. So with no other options, he extended his hands towards the tree and concentrated, crouching and using the Force to feel the weight and fragility of the dead, bare tree. It was fairly weak, and could probably be uprooted easily if he tried hard enough.

Maul closed his eyes and began the process, feeling the Dark Side surrounding him and flowing through his veins.

The tree cracked and groane as it was slowly uprooted from the ground, roots snapping and detaching as it steadily rose out of the sand.

Maul was nearly finished when he was interrupted by the loud shrieks of Tusken Raiders approaching his location. He opened his eyes and saw four of them on the top of the cliff, pointing thier blasters at him.

The Zabrak pressed himself agianst the partially uprooted tree for cover as the Raiders began firing at him, whooping and hollerIng, speaking to each other in their native language.

Maul used the Force to pull one of them down from the cliff, and the creature hit the sand with a groan, laying still and quiet. The other three continued firing, their blasterfire striking the large tree and raining bits of burned bark onto Maul.

He summoned more of his strength and extended both arms, choking two of them and flinging them hard from the cliff. The two Tuskens went flying through the air, yelling in fear. They hit the ground face-first. Maul heard a faint snapping sound, and both Tuskens went quiet.

The last one was still firing at him, and Maul choked this one as well, but memories of his fight with Sidious on Mandalore ran through his mind at that moment, filling him with burning rage as he remembered how mercilessly his former Master had slaughtered his brother.

Maul snarled with rage and clenched his fist tighter, the Tusken’s face turning purple as they started gagging. The Zabrak continued with this torture, increasing the pressure.

The Tusken squealed as its head exploded, and Maul released the body, letting it drop heavily onto the sand.

He sat down on the tree, surveying the chaos he had now caused. He felt satisfaction filling his body, and he allowed himself a small smile. 

Maul continued uprooting the tree, and snapped off an armful of thick branches once that task was finished. He began walking back to Obi-Wan’s hut when he was satisfied with the amount of firewood he had amassed, and dumped the pile beside the fire when he returned.

Obi-Wan stared at him questioningly, though briefly. “You were gone longer than I expected,” he said, taking a bite of his food. “The meal is ready to be eaten if you would like to indulge yourself.”

Maul sat down, silently picking off part of a leg of whatever creature Obi-Wan was cooking today, and began to eat, thinking of the past, and what could have been.

He desperately wished that Savage was still alive so that he could talk with him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you all like the direction this story is going in. I certainly do.


End file.
